undefined | Better HN

0 pointsMacha4y ago0 comments

This is implying all the concerns about possible future uses of this technology are unreasonable slippery slope concerns, but we're on our like fourth or fifth time on this slope and we've slipped down it every previous time, so it's not unreasonable to be concerned

Previous times down this slope:

* UK internet filters for child porn -> opt out filters for regular porn (ISPs now have a list of porn viewers) + mandatory filters for copyright infringment

* Google drive filters for illegal content -> Google driver filters for copyrighted content

* iCloud data is totally protected so it's ok to require an apple account -> iCloud in China run by government controlled data centers without encryption

* Protection against malware is important so Windows defender is mandatory unless you have a third party program -> Windows Defender deletes DeCSS

* Need to protect users against malware, so mobile devices are set up as walled gardens -> Providers use these walled gardens to prevent business models that are bad for them

0 comments

2 comments · 1 top-level

intended4y ago· 1 in thread

The first slippery slope for this was when people made tools to do deep packet inspection and find copyrighted content during the Napster era.

That was the first sin of the internet era.

Discussing slippery slopes does nothing.

Edit: It is frustrating to see where we are going. However - conversations on HN tend to focus on the false positives, and not too much on the actual villains who are doing unspeakable things.

Perhaps people need to hear stories from case workers or people actually dealing with the other side of the coin to better make a call on where the line should be drawn.

bostik4y ago

I don't think anyone here is trying to detract from the horrors and the crimes.

My problem is that these lists have already been used for retaliation against valid criticism. Scope creep is real, and in case of this particular list, adding an item is an explicit, global accusation of the creator and/or distributor for being a child molester.

I also wrote some less commonly voiced thoughts yesterday: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28071872

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse